A new species of Pagurixus Melin, 1939 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura, Paguridae) from the Ryukyu Islands, Japan

A new species of the hermit crab genus Pagurixus Melin, 1939, P. patiae n. sp., is described from intertidal reef flat of Iriomote Island, Yaeyama Islands of southern Ryukyu Islands, Japan. Morphological similarity suggests that the new species is allied to P. laevimanus (Ortmann, 1892) and P. anceps (Forest, 1954). However, the notably dissimilar fourth pereopods immediately distinguishes P. patiae n. sp. from P. laevimanus and P. anceps. Furthermore, characters of the cheliped, ambulatory legs and/or coloration in life also separate P. patiae n. sp. from the latter two species.